*Feature Photo: Riverton Mayor Lars Baker made a point during discussion at
Tuesday night's city council meeting. Baker said the Eastern Shoshone
Tribe's purchase of the Honor Farm property "is a positive thing."
(Pitchengine Communities) *
(Riverton, Wyo.) - Officials of the City of Riverton have reacted
positively to the news that the Eastern Shoshone Tribe funded the purchase
of the 302 acres auctioned in April, a parcel known as the Wyoming Honor
Farm property.
At Tuesday night's council meeting, Mayor Lars Baker said he had met with
the Eastern Shoshone Business Council late last week and reported that the
Tribe "wants to be good citizens of Riverton and be a part of the
community. I don't see this as a negative at all," he said. "It is a
positive thing that folks who live right here are thinking of the city of
Riverton and its potential and they would invest in it."
City Administrator Steven Weaver said the mayor summed up the city's point
quite well. "I think this will be everything that we wanted it to be for
the land. They are looking at this as a business opportunity."
Weaver noted that the consultant hired by the Tribe to represent them at
the auction, Steve Wilson of Idaho, also negotiated the sale of land that
brought Walmart to Riverton. "He has a lot of skills." Wilson has been
identified by the Tribe as the man to help develop the property.
Weaver said it was his genuine hope that "people give this a shot and not
jump to any conclusions. There is no reason to believe otherwise," he said.
In an exclusive interview with County10 on Tuesday, the entire council
reiterated the point that the land will be on the tax roles, that there
would be no casino or tribal offices on the property and that they are
looking for "family friendly" economic development opportunities for the
land. The Tribal Council also said they would work with the Honor Farm to
lease part of the property back to them for raising hay and that they have
not yet met with the Wyoming Modeler's Park, but they also plan to work
with them since that park is included in the purchased land.
#county10 #news

*Feature Photo: Riverton Mayor Lars Baker made a point during discussion at
Tuesday night's city council meeting. Baker said the Eastern Shoshone
Tribe's purchase of the Honor Farm property "is a positive thing."
(Pitchengine Communities) *
(Riverton, Wyo.) - Officials of the City of Riverton have reacted
positively to the news that the Eastern Shoshone Tribe funded the purchase
of the 302 acres auctioned in April, a parcel known as the Wyoming Honor
Farm property.
At Tuesday night's council meeting, Mayor Lars Baker said he had met with
the Eastern Shoshone Business Council late last week and reported that the
Tribe "wants to be good citizens of Riverton and be a part of the
community. I don't see this as a negative at all," he said. "It is a
positive thing that folks who live right here are thinking of the city of
Riverton and its potential and they would invest in it."
City Administrator Steven Weaver said the mayor summed up the city's point
quite well. "I think this will be everything that we wanted it to be for
the land. They are looking at this as a business opportunity."
Weaver noted that the consultant hired by the Tribe to represent them at
the auction, Steve Wilson of Idaho, also negotiated the sale of land that
brought Walmart to Riverton. "He has a lot of skills." Wilson has been
identified by the Tribe as the man to help develop the property.
Weaver said it was his genuine hope that "people give this a shot and not
jump to any conclusions. There is no reason to believe otherwise," he said.
In an exclusive interview with County10 on Tuesday, the entire council
reiterated the point that the land will be on the tax roles, that there
would be no casino or tribal offices on the property and that they are
looking for "family friendly" economic development opportunities for the
land. The Tribal Council also said they would work with the Honor Farm to
lease part of the property back to them for raising hay and that they have
not yet met with the Wyoming Modeler's Park, but they also plan to work
with them since that park is included in the purchased land.
#county10 #news